Broken Bird
by Eternaltsundere
Summary: Robin's fallen ill, yet he refuses to admit it. Pretty much abandoned. Perhaps implications of canon, but nothing more shipping-wise.
1. Stumble

It was a sunny afternoon in Jump City and 5 friends happened to be enjoying a pleasant meal together. At least, they _should _have been.. if they could decide what to order... The Teen Titans were currently in the middle of a heated argument over which type of pizza to get.

"Dude, get it through your head for once! I turn into the animals on the menu!"

"Doesn't mean you've got to ruin it for the rest of us!"

"Please, friends, stop! I am sure we can come to a decision. Besides... it is obvious that we should order the pizza of cheese!"

Robin sighed and slumped forward, bringing a gloved hand up to rub his temples. "Come on, guys," he grumbled, "Can't we for once just have a nice meal.. _without _the arguing? I've got a headache..." Raven glanced at him as the other Titans were silent.

"..Robin, if you truly wish to end the arguing, then perhaps you should simply agree with me on the pizza of the cheese. 'Majority rules', yes?" Starfire offered, blinking sweetly.

"Now hold on a minute!" came Cyborg's yell, interrupted by Beast Boy's hasty words. "Robin, old buddy! I'm sure you'd agree that it's like, totally not fair to make me eat animals I turn into..." Robin groaned put his head down on the table, letting his friends resume their bickering session.

"Black olive, dude!"  
"All-meat!"

"Cheese?"

"I'm beginning to think," Raven said to her leader, "That going out for lunch wasn't the best idea you've ever had, Robin.." She continued to look at her hands, clasped together neatly on the table top. She waited for his answer.. and waited. It was silent (save for the other three Titans absorbed in their.. 'discussion') and this made her slightly uneasy. Raising her head, she turned to her friend. "Robin?"

He was resting his head on his hands, propped up by his elbows. But something was wrong. He was staring straight off into space..

"Robin!"

He jumped, swiveling his head to stare at her. This time there was a real silence; the others had quieted and turned their attention to the Boy Wonder.

"Sorry...," he mumbled, "Like I said, I have a really bad headache.. sort of hard to ... concentrate." Shrugging with a helpless expression despite the mask, he fell limp, exhaling deeply in a sigh yet again.

"Robin, you have not fallen ill?" his Tameranian friend inquired worriedly. With a frown, Robin sat up straight. He shouldn't have said anything. "I'm fine, Star.. don't worry. Just a little headache." As if to prove his point, the spiky-haired teen got to his feet, looking at the sky, the buildings, anywhere but his friends' concerned faces. He started to walk away. "I'm going home.. you guys have fun, okay?"

After he had gone, the Titans turned slowly to stare at each other. "What was that about?" Beast Boy wondered aloud. "I don't know," Cyborg said, "But we're going to find out."

Starfire smiled sheepishly. "Yes, of course, but first.. the pizza of cheese?"

Instantly the two boys' voices rose in protest. "You mean meat!" "No, black olive!" Raven blinked and then let herself fall back in the chair. This might take a while.

.

.

.

_The little birdie's wings are breaking_

**A/N:**** I'm sorry if you came here from my other fanfiction, yeah, that tiny little 472 word thing "I'm Human Too." It was very literate and serious as are my normal fanfictions; this story, however, is not. Although it is serious near the beginning and at least presentable, I don't think it's my best work, simply a work of boredom and Writers' Block. **

**Don't own Teen Titans, in case you didn't notice.**


	2. Clipped Wings

Beast Boy entered the living room and glanced around as the others filed in behind him. The entire tower was dead-silent, something very unusual. Not even the sounds of Robin's rapid typing as he 'researched' or the thuds of his training sessions broke the strange quiet.

"Hell-oooo?" the changeling called, frowning. His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked from left to right, but there was no sign of their leader.

"Perhaps he has been called away on a mission?" Starfire suggested. Cyborg shook his head. "He would've called us. Come on." The four of them travelled deeper into the large room. It had never looked so ominous. Suddenly a sound made them all jump. Cyborg led the way around to the couch, blaster at the ready .. and gaped.

Robin was lying on the couch, his cape wrapped around him as if cold, on his belly. His limbs were clutching the fabric of the cushions tightly and even through the mask they could tell his expression was not a happy one. The noise came again; now it was recognizable as a soft cough of sorts. "Duuuude," Beast Boy said loudly, "Robin's _asleep... _on the _sofa..._ am I the only one who sees something wrong with that picture?" He was met with no answer, but it obvious what he was insinuating. It was true.. their leader rarely slept at all anyway, and even if he did, it was locked up in his room, away from anyone who just might decide to remove that mask of his.

The Boy Wonder loosened his grip on the sofa cushions and raised his head. "G..guys?" His voice was masked by a dry cough. Raven elbowed Beast Boy with a sullen expression. "You woke him up," she whispered pointedly. The spiky-haired teenager pushed himself into sitting position and gazed bleakly at them. "Nice to see you. How'd it go?" A small smile flickered onto his face. "What'd you end up ordering, anyway?"

"Err..."

Robin stared. "Something wrong?"

"We were only wondering why you were sleeping there, friend Robin!" Starfire announced cheerfully. To this, he looked down at his feet. "..I didn't actually notice it get dark, but yes, I suppose I was sleeping." None of the other Titans failed to notice he avoided the actual question.

Starfire floated over to his side and joined him on the couch with a smile. The others followed suit. "Awesome!" Beast Boy said, "We should totally watch a movie. Wicked Scary: 3, or--"

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

"Titans, trouble!" Robin stood up, stumbling slightly, but his face was determined. He was met with an awkward silence. Finally, it was broken by an amused-looking Beast Boy. "Dude, you had a headache... you crashed on the couch... you probably-"

"I'm fine," he growled.

As the lead Titan stormed out of the tower, the others right behind him, Beast Boy lagged behind a bit. His eyes were narrowed. "Man!" he groaned, "Why am the one always getting interrupted?"

------

"Hhah!" A fist connected with Cinderblock's head with a resounding _crack! _Robin staggered back, wincing and gripping his now-limp hand tightly. "Stupid, stupid.." he muttered to himself, "He's made of solid rock.. don't try punching him without pre-.." He realized then he was talking to no one but himself.

It wasn't like him to be so stupid; the headache was clouding his mind...

The others had left him to go after the other enemy. Somehow, his brain wouldn't supply a name.. WHAM! He was hit hard, tumbling backwards and sliding to a stop over 20 feet away.

His muscles ached. _Okay, _he thought reluctantly, _Something is seriously wrong with me.. got to get help... _He managed to retrieve his communicator as Cinderblock thundered towards him. But as he turned it on and started transmission, his body was wracked by a fit of coughing. The solid rock villain charged straight into him, sending him rolling away again with a soft grunt of pain. He clutched tightly to the communicator.

Voices erupted from it. "Robin?" "Dude!!" "Hold on, man!" He gritted his teeth and spoke quickly. "I need back-up. _Now!_"

.

.

.

_Falling to his doom, poor flightless birdie_


	3. Flightless

Zzt. Starfire felt her communicator whirr to life. Expecting voices, she was startled when coughs emitted from it. Pausing from their battle, all of the Titans stared as blank as she down at the devices.

It was Robin. With one last cough, he took a deep breath and then tried to speak. But something rammed into his side. The image on the screen suddenly shook wildly, as if tumbling, as the other Titans could only watch in horror. There was an unmistakable cry of pain. Robin slowly steadied the image, but it was obvious he was injured.

All of their voices rose at the same time. "Robin?" Starfire wailed, gaze worried, as Beast Boy let out a "Dude!" and Cyborg said, "Hold on, man!" Raven was silent, but her expression was concerned.

"I need back-up. _Now!"_

The transmission ended.

Four Titans rushed to save their friend, leaving the other villain behind.

_That can wait. Robin needs us!_

----

It was the end. Robin had made another ridiculous mistake and now he was crouched low to the ground, cape snagged on debris. Of course the solution couldn't be simple. He didn't reach back and remove the cape. _Too tired... _he thought. His own mind reared up in protest. _You can't give up! You can't make mistakes! You can't be weak! You can't..._

He shivered from a sudden chill. Gradually he turned his head to glance up at his attacker, looming over him, preparing for the final blow.

_It will all be over soon._

He let himself fall forward, exhaustion getting the better of him...

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

Noises, or more, vibrations in the ground, made him angle his neck upwards to glare defiantly into Cinderblock's face. _Whatever is wrong with me will have to wait! _Robin knew that a simple migraine and fatigue should not stop him from fighting. It hadn't before. He lunged forward, hearing a tear. The cape ripped and then he was free, running, as he felt a breeze from behind him. The blow landed just where he had been not heartbeats before.

"Robin!"

As he whipped around, it dawned on him: the vibrations were footsteps. His friends were here to help him. Everything would be fine...

Feeling as if he hadn't slept in days (and Robin did know the feeling) he let his body go limp as he fell to the ground. Darkness swarmed around him and then he knew no more.

----

"Shh!" Raven's voice cut into his head as if physically hurting him. Or maybe that was his terrible headache. He couldn't distinguish between the two anymore. "He's stirring, I can feel it." For a moment Robin was confused. Then he bolted upright - or at least tried to. Forceful hands pushed him back down. "Please, you are ill! You must rest!"

As the world came into focus, Robin saw his friends surrounding him on the.. hospital bed. He sighed very deepily, sounding like a very aged man.

"The infirmary.. is this really necessary?" he asked, annoyance in his voice. The remaining Titans looked at one another with helpless expressions. The Boy Wonder tried to sit up again, this time slower. "Guys.. it's just a little bug. Nothing to put me in the-" He scoffed as he glanced around - "hospital over."

"Aha!" announced Beast Boy, "So you admit you're sick!"

Robin glowered behind the mask.

"How many times do I have to tell you? I'm_ fine!!" _He fought to keep his voice from sounding desperate. He failed miserably.

"You collapsed," Raven deadpanned. He was silent. "That is _not _fine." This time it was Cyborg. Robin met his friends' gazes with an equally determined glare. Or at least as much as he could convey through a mask.

"S'just the.. just a cold, okay? My body can fight it off. This isn't necessary!"

His friends looked uncomfortable. "Actually," came Beast Boy's nervous voice, "Your immune system is failing to fight back. Something's been weakening it lately. And, um, I kinda took the time to look it up, and a lot of the things you've been doing lately are major no-no's." He chuckled uneasily, raising a hand to number off the things he was about to say. "One, your training sessions.. you've been sorta taking it too far lately, dude, training for hours--" The morpher stopped to silence his leader's protests and Starfire picked up from there. "Secondly, you are not receiving enough sleep! Tell me, how many hours have you acquired per night?"

He was silent. After a few glares, he spoke up reluctantly. "Uh.." His voice fell into a hurried mumble. "..two-or-three..."

"Man, that is putting major stress on your body. That's the third thing. And unless you do something about this, your body won't be able to fight off the influenza-"

"It doesn't matter, okay!? I can't take off time as a hero to be some sickly little _kid. _I'm sorry, but I--" Suddenly he felt something - no, _somethings - _pressing against his body, holding him down. Restraints... He let his head fall back against the pillow in defeat.

"It's not a request, Robin." Cyborg's voice was forceful. "And until you're better, you're staying here."

.

.

.

_Birdie survived but they're clipping his wings._


	4. Captor 2

"Mmf!"

Robin struggled again at his restraints, bringing forth another fit of coughing. He was literally seething. All this over a little flu! His friends were over-reacting.. they had to be. How could his body really have trouble fighting off such a simple ailment?

Siiigh..

He wanted to pound his fist into something. If it was true, then his body was weak, a word Robin did not like to have associated with him in any way.

An hour or two had passed since they had placed restraints on him. His friends had exited the room shortly after that, leaving their leader to brood alone. Growling softly in anger, Robin struggled again. He knew it was no use.. but it seemed that he was proving a point. Finally, he felt fatigue take over again as his head fell back. He stopped squirming and closed his eyes, ready to drift off.

But sleep never came. He wasn't used to resting so often and it seemed that even when it was needed, his body wouldn't let him heal himself. His eyes fluttered open in frustration.

For a long time he stared up at the ceiling, tracing little pictures in the texture. He bit his lip in boredom and then shivered from cold. If they were going to restrain him, couldn't they give him a blanket, too? He glanced around. The room was dark; night had fallen. Now it was bringing back bad memories. A long shudder passed through his body.

He told himself not to worry. The hallucinogen was out of his system. Cyborg made sure of that. Slade, at least as a phantom, could haunt him no longer. Still, it was creepy, being in this room. Something about it seemed dark and foreboding. He tried closing his eyes again to block out the thoughts.

A wave of very sudden and very severe nausea swept over him.

Feeling as if he might throw up, he swallowed nervously as his eyes opened again.

This was going to be a long night.

----

The Titans (save for Robin) had all awoken to the sound of emergency. Cyborg had linked up the monitors in the infirmary to the alarms; now it could only mean one thing. Robin's vital signs... they had to get there fast.

Upon the arrival at the room, they paused and stared up in horror at the screen above them just outside the entrance. Robin's pulse was not just unhealthy - there was none at all. The ominous "beeeeeeeeeeeep" emitting from the machine made them all freeze in place.

Although in the back of his mind Cyborg knew that when this had happened before Robin had simply escaped, he couldn't take any chances. Barging straight into the room, he felt his heart give a little flutter of relief when he saw that Robin was just missing. As the others went to join him, he informed them quickly of the situation.

"Robin's not.. dead. He's just gotten free again..."

There was a groan from the others, although there was obvious relief in all of their voices.

"Man!" the robot-man grumbled, "We need to refit the infirmary just for Robin. Seems like he can escape anything." He gestured to the broken restraints. "Like those."

"Where could be be?" wondered Beast Boy. It was Raven who answered as she raised a hand to point at the shattered window, expression annoyed at his apparent stupidity. He only grunted and crossed his arms. There was a short awkward silence, probably because they were all subconsciously waiting for Robin to dismiss them on the mission.

"Uh..Titans, go?" Cyborg ventured.

They all went their seperate ways to search.

----

You would think that Robin is very smart when it comes to escape. You would think, perhaps, that he would find a suitable place to hide where no one could find him and he could remain for hours at a time.

You'd be wrong, of course.

The Boy Wonder was sitting on the grass next to the tower, leaning against it. He was practically directly below the window he had left from. His hiding place would obviously be the first place they looked, right?

Wrong again! He knew his friends would think he wouldn't be dumb enough to hide straight down there. It's not that he was dumb - in fact, his hiding place was very clever - simply that he was too weary to move.

He heard Cyborg's voice over the communicator, speaking to the others. Talking about finding him. He supposed he'd better get moving, then. He still didn't know where he was to move _to, _only that he had broken free because of some form of defiance. The teen rose slowly on trembling feet and looked out over the water.

Well, it was now or never..

He swam across the length of the body of water. This was no small feat and it did in fact take him quite a while, but he still emerged, sopping wet or not, on the other side.

"Where am I going, anyway?" he muttered to himself, not really knowing the answer. His mind was very fuzzy. He cursed his immune system silently.

"Going somewhere?" a voice called. He whipped around, expecting to see his friends, but saw instead .. Gizmo, Jinx and their little gang. A groan escaped his lips. Bad timing. "And talking to yourself, too..poor bird boy..," Jinx cooed. With a yell, he rushed forward, retrieving his staff and preparing to smack her silly.

"Oh, no you don't!" He was hit, by whom he didn't identify, and came crashing down to the earth. In his weak state, he was much more of a target. He surely hoped they didn't plan to.. too late. He felt himself being tied up and he started to cry out in protest. "Let me go!" They stared with their cruel eyes back at him. "Not a chance, crudmuncher!"

_Great,_ he thought, _Just great. I've escaped from the tower, only to be caught and locked up again. Nice move, Robin._

He let himself go limp and was carried to the destination without struggle.

.

.

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_Poor birdie, passed around like an..animal_


End file.
